Laramie
by Dragonfly Glimmers
Summary: Riku just isn't in the Christmas spirit this year. The Ghost of Christmas Present decides to stay with Riku the whole day to get him in the spirit. He agrees with this because he gets one wish...[Kaiku]


Disclaimer: The plot was based on A Christmas Carol as most of you will find out, so I don't own anything at all. Not even Price is Right(eBay) and Reno...though I DO own the hope that I'll find the rights to him and all my other bishes under the Christmas tree this year...

Sorry for any spelling mistakes. English is not my first language, French is, hence the title.

Laramie

One-Shot

"Why don't you come over my house for Christmas, Riku? I'm having a big party and it'll be a blast!" It was the, what, sixth time today he had been asked? But no, Riku was famed for being a 'Mr.Scrooge' during the Holidays. He used to love Christmas with all it's snow and cheer, but...

"It'll be really fun, Riku! Everyone's invited!" His friends Sora and Naminé were walking beside him in the glistening snow-covered fields. No one knew why the aquamarine-eyed teen decided to stay home for Christmas. He simply had never told anyone, not even his two best friends.

"Yeah, you always stay home for Christmas! I mean, Axel and Reno are Jewish and they'are still coming! Besides, there'll be Christmas Carols, who-can-chug-the-most-egg-nog contests, snowball fights..." Sora listed the stuff that would be at his 'Christmas Blasts' as he liked to call them. Then Sora elbowed Riku in the ribs, and whispered, "...and the mistletoe to land the kiss on a girl of your choice! Pretty slick, eh?"

"I'm sorry, guys, but I just can't make it. My parents are coming home from Traverse Town this Christmas and I want to spend time with them this year. Maybe next year, okay?" Riku lied through his teeth. He hated doing that every single year, every single time he was asked he had to lie. Simply because Riku didn't _have_ any parents. Both of them died five years ago on Christmas Eve while walking the way home. A drunk driver had accidentally swerved the big car into both of his parents, killing one and giving his mother permanent amnesia and loss of a right arm. The year after, she died when she got cancer and never recovered. But Riku was glad that at least she was granted a swift death. He had been in a orphanage, but no one had ever adopted him simply because they thought he was some kind of messed-up albino and all the adopters went after the 'normal' kids and the really young toddlers. No one wanted to adopt quiet 13-year-old Riku.

"You can bring your parents, too! My mom hasn't seen them in such a long time!" Sora exclaimed, all three's shoes making crunching noises in the fresh snow. It was snowing, and it was one of those bitter-cold days. Just in time for Christmas.

"Maybe, Sora. I'll have to ask them. I'll see you both later." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and trudged home as Sora and Naminé went toward the other direction. They weren't 'together' like they used to be, Naminé now was going 'steady' with his twin(who Riku absolutely hated, but that was a story for another time). So whatever they were doing together, Riku did not know neither did he care. He always had his hands full with the hordes of girls always at his house when he got home. It was ironic that when he was little, everyone thought he looked strange because of white-hair, and now girls faint every time they see him. Well, he didn't want any part of his insane stalkers, that was for sure.

'_They're not here today? I'm surprised. Last winter they nearly brought the door down.'_ Riku thought, quickly opening the door and locking it. "Ah...sweet serenity..." He relaxed, taking off his jacket and removing his scarf and placing it on a chair.

"Hello Mom and Dad." He said to a picture of his parents. Riku inherited his white hair from his albino mother but got his aquamarine eyes from his golden-blonde father. He inherited traits from both parents, like he had a quiet side, from his mother, and he had an aggressive side(which he rarely ever let out) from his father. His parents had been very rich, and since he was an only child, all the fortune had gone straight to him. The orphanage had left it untouched and the day Riku turned eighteen(which wasn't too long ago), he took the money and bought back his rightful house. It was lonesome, living in a big place alone, but the only time he ever spent any time in it was during winter, when his job granted him off. He was what one called 'frugal' and he didn't spend any money on luxuries such as iPods or anything like that. He was occupied with just paying taxes and saving up for college and things someone his age should leave to his parents. But then again, he didn't have any...

Riku sighed, and sunk back into a comfy couch which he really had no need for.(But it came with the house so he decided the more furniture the better) He looked out the window, which depicted the stereo-typical Christmas Morning. Of course, it wasn't that wonderful day...at least, not yet..."I hate the Holidays..."

-_The Night of Christmas Eve-_

After Riku had warded off his fanclub, he had gone into a nice, deep sleep. After awhile, he felt something on his shoulder, and shrugged it off. The incessant poking on his shoulder. When he finally opened his eyes to see what it was, he was face to face with a girl. And not just any ordinary girl, a very _pretty_ one.

'_Damn! How'd they figure out to get the door unlocked?!? If Sora was behind this...'_ He thought, clenching his fist. Sora was unbelievably dextrous with his fingers, he could unlock ANYTHING no matter what. Riku flipped the light switch(which was conveniently by the bed) and growled at the girl. "What do you want? Can't you let me get some sleep?"

"Oh, you're worse then they said you were." The girl backed-up and smiled. Riku sat up and looked at her for a moment. She had auburn hair, blue eyes, and a sallow complexion that did not go well with the amount of white she was wearing on top of everything. If Riku believed, he would have said she was some sort of ghost. "I'm the Spirit of Christmas Present. I've come here to give you Christmas cheer!"

"Yeah right. Like I haven't heard that one before..." He yawned, laying back down again. Maybe if he ignored her, she would go away. It's not like she could _do_ anything, right? Well, Riku would stay awake just in case. If it were any other girl, he probably would've just thrown her out the window, but this so called 'Spirit of Christmas Present' was actually attractive and he didn't have the heart to do something so cruel, especially when she seemed so desparate as to resort to trying to get into his room at night on Christmas Eve.

"You don't believe me? Fine! I know that your father died five years ago when a drunk driver hit them. Your mother got permanent amnesia and you weren't allowed to see her for a whole year. Then she got brain cancer that was caught much too late and died swiftly. Do you believe now?" She asked. Riku rose again and looked at her.

"How did you know that? I never told anyone that!" These girls were getting craftier and craftier by the second. Riku would have to make sure to be cautious. He always was, but it could never hurt to be a little too careful.

"I told you, I'm the Spirit of Christmas Present! I came here to bring Christmas Cheer to you!" She repeated, flipping her red hair. Riku yawned again, and looked at the time. 12:13 A.M. He was tired and he just wanted her to go away.

"Fine, fine, whatever...how do you plan to bring Christmas Cheer to me? I don't exactly love the holidays. You've sure got your work cut out for you if you want to make _me_ cheery today, Spirit of Christmas Present." He said, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. Looks like this crazed fangirl would keep him up all night.

"I'm going to spend all of today with you!" She chirped, and Riku nearly gagged. _What?_ That was the point when Riku convinced himself that this was all just a stupid dream. He was sure he had left the lock on the door when he had come in.

"You do that." He said, laying back down and just wanting to wake up from this bad dream. Why was he dreaming about girls? Especially one he had never seen before. This whole thing was a conspiracy. Maybe some angel was telling him to be nicer to his fanclub and give them all gifts for being loyal and dedicated to him.

"Uh, wait! You have to agree to wanting me to reform your attitude about Christmas! Why couldn't the Ghost of Christmas Past handle you? He's much more better dealing with stubborn ones!" She mumbled, but Riku wasn't really paying any attention to what she was saying. He just wanted some sleep.

"Well, I don't agree. Can you go now?" He mumbled, trying to drown out her voice by placing a pillow over his ears.. The Spirit of Christmas Present sighed.

"How about this: If I can spend the whole day with you tomorrow, I'll grant you ONE wish!" She shouted(so he could hear her) happily.

"Fine, whatever..." He said drowsily, going back to sleep. She walked over to him and stared at him for a little.

"He fell asleep before I got to tell him that one condition..."

-

When Riku woke up again, he was face to face with the Spirit of Christmas Present. The only difference was that she looked healthier compared to her pale yellow-gray skin she had just six hours ago. He blinked, making sure she was real by tapping her shoulder.

"You were real?" He asked. She nodded. _'Oh Lord, what did I ever do to deserve some guide for the Holidays?'_ He silently pleaded with some higher power up above to make her go away. He didn't want some girl who somehow found a way into his room last night to follow him around all day and tell him how to be cheery. He had enough of those.

"Of course I was! I wasn't some silly dream! Now...for the morning, I think we can go ice-skating. I looked into it and I opened one ice-skating rink..." She said, tapping her chin.

"You _opened_ an ice-skating rink? Alright, I believe that." Riku said sarcastically, pushing the spirit out of his room so he could get dressed. Once he did, he made sure his hair was all in order(it took forever to tame that thing everyone calls 'hair') and opened the door.

"I'm the Spirit of Christmas Present! I can do anything. I even made myself human so we can go to Sora's party later!" She said. Maybe she really _was_ the Spirit of Christmas Present. It was the first time that an ice-rink had opened up on Christmas. On the way out(just because the spirit was so ecstatic to go out) when Riku had gotten all of his bundles of clothing to stay warm, he looked the spirit up and down. She was wearing a lot of white, but none of it really looked warm.

"Do you want a jacket or something? You'll be freezing outside and people will stare." The last thing Riku needed was attention. He got enough of it already by the whole female population."Here." He tossed her an old coat he had never gotten ridden of.

"Thank you, Riku! That's very kind of you! See? Giving isn't so bad! Doesn't it make your heart just glow that you helped the needy?" She smiled. Riku shook his head and opened the door.

"You can't keep that." He decided, and she groaned. Once they started walking to the ice-skate rink the Spirit had opened with her 'magical' powers, a question floated to Riku's mind. "So, Spirit of Christmas Present, do you have a real name? I don't want to call you Spirit of Christmas Presen the whole time you're with me." She nodded.

"My real name is Kairi. You can call me that, alright?" Kairi said, then added, "Well, if you think about it, my real name is The Spirit of This Year's Christmas Present. But Kairi will do fine! I never liked long and stuffy names anyway."

"What do you mean 'This Year's'? Are you saying you won't be the Spirit of Christmas Present next year?" Riku asked, not really interested in her story but it was better to have a conversation than being silent. Although he was quiet most of the time, he didn't really like awkward silences.

"Exactly. Every year there's a new Spirit of Christmas Present, and they all are born on 12 midnight of Christmas Eve and they die at 12 midnight Christmas Day. That's why you have to make your wish before midnight or else you won't get one!" She said, smiling sadly. "But there's no point in talking about that now! My job is making _you_ happy this Christmas by bringing you cheer that everyone all over the world partakes in!"

"Not if you're Jewish." He stated. Kairi laughed. Riku stared at her. He didn't even make a joke, and she was laughing? "Oh, look at the line for the ice-skating rink. Looks like we can't go." _'Who would want to go to an ice-skating rink on Christmas, anyway?'_ He thought.

"No problem!" Kairi skipped towards the rink, and Riku seriously thought about ditching her. In fact, as soon as he turned around to leave,(he started to sprint towards his home, too) she grabbed the end of his scarf and almost choked him while dragging him there. Once she let go, he adjusted his scarf and she snapped her fingers. "Move aside!" The people waiting in line(yet again, who would want to go to an ice-skating rink on Christmas?) moved aside and she took Riku's hand(to make sure he didn't try and run away again) and dragged him inside.

"Isn't this season supposed to be about giving? Can't you _give_ me some peace and quiet and leave?" He begged. Skating around. Sounded really uplifting! She rolled her eyes and clapped her hands. Riku felt...taller. When he investigated the reason, he found that his shoes had magically transformed into ice-skates. "Do you have a solution for _everything?_" He asked helplessly.

"Well, not everything...you see, since I don't have the heart to put people to work on Christmas, I created my own ice-rink over night! You see all these people here? They're not actual people, they're _spirits."_ Kairi seemed perfectly fine with the fact she was with her kind, but that fact made shivers run up and down Riku's spine.

"So I'm the only thing _living_ here?" He whispered, trying to ignore seemingly eerie stares directed at him. She smacked him upside the head and shook her head furiously.

"Don't say that! That's so rude! We _used_ to be alive once, too! We're no different from you, except that normal humans can't see us! C'mon, let's not chit-chat! Skating AWAITS!" She yelled, a triumphant fist punching the air as Kairi dragged Riku towards the ice rink. Once on there, Kairi seemed to glide across the frozen water like it was a walk in the park. He hesitated before stepping foot in the rink. It didn't seem safe, and he heard from Sora that once his brother had a really odd dream and he woke up standing on the edge of a cliff. So Riku was now scared that he was having a dream like that and he'll wake up in Heaven, or on the edge of the cliff or falling from a cliff or some dangerous place.

What if he was losing his _sanity?_ "Why couldn't you have just agreed to go to the stupid party, Riku?" Riku asked himself, taking a step onto the rink and clutching the railing like it was life-support. In a way, it was.

"You don't know how to ice-skate? Here, I'll teach you! Once you learn, you might become much happier!" She said, holding out her hand. He had no choice but to take it and trust this spirit that was totally ruining his already ruined Christmas. "Well, all you need to do is balance yourself...then, you take steps like this, see?" She demonstrated. "Once you're comfortable doing that, just make your steps longer for a gliding effect, like this!" She performed that flawless glide across the rink again. "You try!"

"Hey, Kairi, you said that no normal humans can see you spirits? Well, why can I?" He asked, wobbling on the skates. Riku never was very active in sporting activities. He was always occupied with his job, he never had any time for fun. But he certainly didn't call something so _mentally challenged _such as ice-skating fun.

"Because I allowed you too, duh! You might meet the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Shinigami of Christmas Future here! They both have their charges right now, but both their methods are a little different from mine so I'm not sure if they'll come here. Oh, Riku, you got it!" Kairi clapped. Riku was a fast learner and all of his teachers had told him he was extremely bright. But his grades had been slipping lately, because of his job, he'd never gotten the chance to really crack-down and study.

Riku silently skated around the rink, not really paying attention to anything around him. After all, the spirits that were in the rink he passed right through so it wouldn't matter to him anyway. He did feel a sudden breeze of cold whenever he passed through them, but he didn't mind. He was always cold. But suddenly, he felt a warmth and looked to where it was coming from. Kairi was holding his hand. She didn't seem to notice either, as she was humming a Christmas carol and a smile graced her pretty features.

Riku had to admit, for a spirit, she was pretty beautiful. Not that he liked...such an upbeat and positive spirit... "Kairi, you said you died, right?" A nod was all he got as the humming stopped. "I know this is really rude of me to ask, but how exactly did you die?" Like they say, curiosity killed the cat. Kairi sighed sadly and she let go of Riku's hand. He _almost_ wanted that warmth again, it was the first time he had felt anything like that since his parents death, and after that he had shielded himself off from everyone emotionally.(of course, there the occasional hugs from his fangirls, but this was a completely different story. Kairi wasn't like those other girls) Riku had slowly became an electric circuit that shocked anyone who came close to him. So now it came back and shocked _him _when Kairi made physical contact with him, even with such a simple thing as holding a hand. Was it possible...was it possible that Kairi wasn't ruining his Christmas...but actually _fixing_ what had been broken? Was such a thing even possible?

"I was around your age when I died. I had a seemingly wonderful boyfriend, and we had been going out for three years. I thought I knew everything about him...I thought I loved him...but I didn't know the first thing about him. I didn't know that he was schizophrenic and the full moon made him go berserk." Kairi took a deep breath, "So, he asked me out to a fine restaurant on my birthday. Of course, I thought it was nothing big. But when we got there, he told me he had something important to tell me so he dragged me to an alley and took out something that, me, being the naïve young teenager that I was, I thought it was a piece of jewelry for my birthday present. Instead, it was a giant claymore. And under the beautiful full moon, he stabbed me seventeen, the age I was turning, times in the heart. The last thing I heard was, 'Happy Birthday...' before I died painfully."

"How can you stay so happy and cheerful even though you were murdered by someone you trusted? If I got maimed by someone I thought I loved, I would never talk to anyone ever again. It must take a lot of courage to talk to someone like me when I could hurt you like your boyfriend did." Riku said, but he would never do anything like that. Despite his rugged and cold exterior, he really possessed a kind spirit. Riku was like a wounded bird fallen out of it's nest. He just needed someone to build a nest around him so he, eventually, would be able to spread his wings and fly again.

"Not really. I can't see your soul, but I can tell you're nothing like my boyfriend. For example, if he was in this situation, I'm sure he would have said, 'Oh, I'm so sorry that had to happen to you! You don't deserve a boyfriend like him!'. I'm glad that you don't feel sorry for me, Riku. I don't want anyone's pity, because then they'll just do things for me because of what my life is like and I don't want that! I want people to do things for me because they love me." Kairi sighed, then shrugged. "But there's not too many people out here that are life that."

"Yeah, I don't know too many people who wouldn't be sorry for you." He said. Maybe Kairi wasn't so bad after all. She didn't obsess over him or invade his personal privacy. "Why did you decide to bring cheer to me, of all people? Couldn't you have been the guide to other people that needed it more?"

"Yeah, maybe...but when I got to decide who I was going to bring cheer to, you were around my age so I picked you! You're cute, too, so that's an added bonus!" She laughed when she noticed Riku's red and embarrassed face.

"U-Uhm...T-Thanks?" He stuttered, and she grabbed his hand again and smiled at him.

"I'm only saying the truth!" She said, then, thankfully for Riku, changed the topic. "Feeling a little happier now, Riku?"

"Not really." He said. "What are we going to do after this? Surely we won't be skating all day." _'Because that will be boring and I WILL fall on my face, I know it.'_ Riku added silently, and Kairi looked up at a wall where a clock magically appeared.

"Let's see...Sora's party begins at noon...so we have four hours! What else...oh! I knoooow!" Kairi dragged him off the rink and she made his skates revert back to his normal shoes. She led(how did she know this place so well, anyway?) him to an open field of sparkling, untouched snow. "Snow angels!" She let go of his hand and ran into the field, giggling happily, spinning around as if she were trying to catch the gently falling snowflakes. When she was done impersonating a windmill, she let herself fall back. Kairi proceeded in making a snow angel. Riku walked over to her and raised an eyebrow when she asked if he would like to join her.

"I don't think so. I'm sorry, but I'm not too fond of girly activities such as snow angels." He stated, and Kairi gasped and sat up. _'What's she gonna do? Start to cry?'_ He asked himself, but when he felt the cold sting of a nicely-packed snowball in his face, Riku's thoughts became more competitive as he wiped the snow from his face to find Kairi at the other side of the field, celebrating her victory. _'She may have won the fight, but she has yet to win the war!'_

Riku couldn't help that his usual sustained mature thoughts turned into ones of a child. It was his aggressive side coming through... He hadn't done something like a snowball fight in such a long time, and sure, Sora asked him for a good old snowball fight every year...but Riku could _not_ _stand_ Sora's twin brother, and of course, Sora, being the happy-go-lucky being that could not pinpoint when people absolutely DESPISED each other and wanted to rip each other's GUTS out, would ask that stupid, idiotic brother of his to join in! Riku, being the adult, would then have to say 'no' because he knew that somehow those snowballs would contain knives and it would turn violent rather quickly. Of course, he didn't mind Kairi one bit and he would be surprised if she would make this Snowball Fight turn into a bloody Snowball War.

"Well, Mr. Manly, looks like the only way I'm going to drill the fact that snow angels are for everyone is by beating you to a good old-fashioned snowball fight!" Kairi said, packing some snow neatly to form the perfect snowball. Riku grabbed a bunch of snow and tried to mimic her skills, but only came out with a deformed circle you could hardly call an oval. Pathetic cubes of snow stuck together, that's all it was. He knew for a fact that his aiming sucked, so he would have to go straight in for the kill. He charged, trying to dodge Kairi's throws. He got hit once or twice, but when he got within range, he threw the clump of frozen water at her and hit her dead-on.

"Point for you!" She shouted, and for awhile there, they just continued like that, carelessly throwing the piles of snow at each other. "Oh! Look at the time!" Kairi said, a watch appearing on her wrist after a said amount of time. "We should do something else, now! Let's see...I know! We can get gifts for everyone that will be attending the party!"

"How? There are no stores open." Riku asked, but he knew that was the wrong question to ask. She snapped her fingers and dragged him outside of the field. In replacement of the glittering field of snow was a giant Wal Mart-esque store. "Let me guess...this is a store that all the spirits go shopping in that only they can see?"

"You betcha!" She started to walk towards the store, looking up at the sky. "Isn't the sky so beautiful when it's sno-" Kairi wasn't paying attention to anything but the snow softly falling. Meaning, she wasn't going to realize that she was going to trip over a small rock in about five seconds and fall flat on her face.

"Kairi!" Riku called, and Kairi turned around but kept walking. She was about to answer when the abominable, stupid, idiotic pebble(how's that for an insult, you shrunken boulder?) made her fall. Kairi squeezed her eyes shut, not having time to react and just snap her fingers to make a pillow or something soft appear under her.

'_This is it, I'm going to die! Oh, I hope Riku-'_ Her thoughts automatically stoppedwhen she suddenly felt warm. Very, very warm. _'I'm not in Heaven, am I? OhmygoshIdon'twanttogetjudgedwhenIhaven'tevencompletedmymission!_ _The rock I created wasn't supposed to KILL me!_' She thought and almost started to hyper-ventilate when she heard Riku's voice that somehow comforted her fears.

"Kairi, are you alright?" He asked. She blinked, unable to register his words for some reason. _'Score! He caught me and now I'm in his **arms**!' _Even though Kairi was dead, she still was a teenage girl. She wasn't desperate, but she was just over-reacting like how normal teenage girls over-react to guys they thought were hot...or they were harboring the terrible(but wonderful in a way) 'c-word' on a guy. Apparently, Riku fell under both categories.

"Just fine!" She grabbed onto his shoulder for support and regained for balance. "Feeling the spirit yet?" Kairi asked, secretly glad that he hadn't no-

"Don't try to change the subject. I _know_ you placed that rock there on purpose...thought I'd never notice?" He asked, now repaying the favor of her embarrassing him. Riku let go of her and she averted her gaze.

"N-No! It was just there!" Kairi felt her face heat up and she felt like some deluded farmer had mistook her stomach for butter and started to churn it._ 'Why? Why do I feel this way? I've never felt this way about Saïx...Still, I can't believe he noticed the rock! I thought I was being discreet, to.'_

"Okay, Kairi, if you say so." Riku said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Kairi could tell he didn't believe her. "Whatever you do, don't start obsessing over me like those other girls." She frowned, but was secretly happy she made him smile. It was the first time she didn't see him with a dead-pan or serious face.

"But don't tell me you didn't enjoy that, Riku!" She countered, mirroring his grin. He had no remark to that, so he just continued walking towards Kairi's Store. Once he got there, he opened the door for her.

"Ladies first." He mumbled, and even though he was raised with proper etiquette)he didn't really like doing all that gentlemanly stuff like pushing chairs in for girls and things of the like. Riku, for the most part, thought females could do such trivial things by themselves. He just felt it was necessary to treat a Christmas Spirit that could zap lightning on him in a minute with respect.

"Thanks, Riku!" She skipped into the store, humming a cheerful Christmas tune. Riku grudgingly walked in behind her, not wanting to buy gifts for _everyone_ at Sora's party, because that would mean buying a gift for that _completely _and _utterly_ evil Hell-spawned twin of his that was so diabolically evil(and crafty), he used his evilness to look innocent and no one suspected his twisted plans of taking over the world. It seemed that only Riku noticed(and wasn't fooled by his Innocent Angel act) the maliciousness seeping out of that wicked, maleficent...Riku could use every single negative word in the entire world and not one definition would even come _close_ to how...how...how..infuriatingly EVIL Sora's brother was!

In fact, Riku made it a habit to never, ever speak Sora's brother's name...he always called him 'Blonde-Haired Evil', and, likewise,Blonde-Haired Evil called him 'Albino', so they both pretty much hated each other.

"Okay. This is a store containing only the items of what everyone's heart truly desires for Christmas." Kairi explained. There were twenty-four aisles, each lettered with a letter of the alphabet. "This goes by their last name, alphabetical order. So let's start!" A list of the names of the people attending Sora's party appeared in her hand. "I have an idea!" Another one appeared, and she handed it to Riku. "Why don't we separate? You do A-L, and I'll do-"

"We should go together. I...feel safer with you around because I know no Grim Reaper is gonna show up and just take my soul." Riku just knew Kairi would have to prevent that, because then she'd fail her mission of making him happy on Christmas Day.

"You're scared of Ghosts? Well, I can't blame you; I admit I was scared of them too when I was alive. But now that I am one, it seems silly!" She laughed, but then shook her head. "Let's start our search! Okay...the first one here..."

-

'_How long has it been since we've started shopping? But we're in the Q aisle now, so it shouldn't be too long.'_ Riku thought, carrying along the tons of bags which were rather heavy. _'Who the heck wishes for a freakin' desktop computer anyway? What happened to the laptops and mini iPods that aren't even a pound?'_

"Let's see here...Quetzlcoatl Tidus? He wants the Brotherhood, a...watery sword...and a blitzball?" Kairi shrugged and grabbed the sword which was lodged between a blitzball and a rock. She pulled on it and pulled on it, but it didn't budge. Neither of them noticed the shelf slightly shaking, however. "Okay! I'm going to pull it on the count of three! Riku, stand behind me and make sure I don't crash into the other aisle!"

"Bossy, aren't we?" Riku mumbled, dropping the bags _gently_(so Kairi wouldn't complain. Like he cared about getting gifts! Especially for the Blonde-Haired Evil...he hoped that, somehow, someway, Blonde-Haired Evil's gift would shatter and be broken into little tiny pieces) and standing behind her.

"Okay...one...two..." Riku braced himself, "THREE!" She managed to take the sword out of the shelf, but she banged into Riku who had caught her and not crashed into the next shelf. However, the one she took it from was shaking dangerously. He noticed it this time.

"Kairi!" He shouted, pushing her down to the floor and covering her as the shelf fell. _'This is it...I better get a reward for dying for a spirit!'_ Riku hought, squeezing his eyes shut, ready for the impact that never came. After awhile, he opened his eyes to take a look at why he didn't feel any pain. He saw Kairi(who he was on top of, and her face rivaled a cherry), who was holding out he hand and she had a strained look on her face. He looked behind him, and saw all the gifts and the shelf just floating in the air. Riku knew that she wouldn't be able to hold the shelf and gifts for long. He got up and took her outstretched hand and sprinted toward the exit of the store. "C'mon!"

"W-Wait, Riku! What about the presents?!?" Kairi wailed, looking back and she winced as the shelves suddenly turned domino-esque and fell down. "I just ruined everyone's Christmas!" They made it outside without a scratch. She shaded her eyes as she glanced at the sun's position in the sky. "We can't go shopping again, or else we'll miss his party. But I can't go looking like some pacifist! Okay, Riku, close your eyes!"

"Huh? Why?" He asked, but he did so. He heard the snapping of Kairi's fingers, and he knew that she must have conjured up some kind of mistletoe or something stupid like bells that she's going to make him skip around singing 'Jingle Bells' with. Pfft. Like _he_ would do something so socially degrading such as that.

"'Kay, you can open them!" She shouted, and he did. "Do I look funny?" She asked. Her outfit had completely changed. Kairi was no longer wearing that eerie white, but a pink dress-type thing that Riku couldn't really describe because she was wearing his five-sizes-too-big jacket over everything.

"W...wow. Y-You don't look f-funny, Kairi!" Riku stuttered, coughing nervously and looking away. He wasn't embarrassed because she looked good(because he could barely see what she was wearing), but compared to her other white outfit, she was wearing practically _nothing._ "You look great!"

"Thanks! Now, let's go!" She hooked arms with him and skipped her way to Sora's(and Blonde-Haired Evil's) house. "You'll introduce me to everyone, right, Riku? Maybe you can tell them I'm your girlfriend! Hehehe, wouldn't that be a great shocker?" Kairi asked, looking at Riku. "Ummm...Riku?" He now had an evil grin slowly spreading on his face.

"Kairi, here's what we do..." He bent down and whispered something in her ear.

-_In Front of Sora's House-_

"But remember...we have to wait for them to show up, alright? Stand behind me so they'll never know." Riku said, and Kairi side-stepped behind him, suppressing a giggle. He rang the doorbell, and Blonde-Haired Evil appeared. He had a smile on, but once he saw Riku his face turned emotionless.

"What are you doing here, Albino?" He asked, with poisonous venom dripping off his voice. Why did they hate each other? That was a long, long story that went back to when they were kids...And girls thought they were the only ones that could grudges for more than ten years.

"I didn't know you were stupid too, but in case you need the memo your brother invited me." Riku said, crossing his arms and glaring right back at him. "After all, I'm his _best friend."_

_"_Roxas, who's at the--RIKU! Look, guys, it's Riku! Riku's here!" Sora practically pushed Ro--Blonde-Haired Evil out of the way to place a Santa Hat on Riku. "Come on in, the party's just started!" Before the poor white-haired kid could move another muscle, his fanclub(who always came to Sora's party every year in hopes that their 'God' would show up) rushed over to him.

"RIKU! OH MY GOD IT'S THE ACTUAL RIKU!"

"I LOVE YOU, RIKU!!! HERE'S MY PRESENT FOR YOU!"

"BACK OFF! HE'S MY FUTURE HUSBAND, AND NO ONE ELSE'S!" they all shouted very...possessive things, when Riku cleared his throat and his fangirls quieted down, a couple of them even had cameras and camcorders on them to record the 'Almighty Riku' _talking._ That's right, folks, he's going to open his mouth and _speak_.

"I'd like to introduce you all to my **_girlfriend,_** Kairi." Riku made sure he put special emphasis on 'girlfriend' and stepped forward so he was standing under the doorway, Kairi appearing beside him. One of the girls gasped and pointed at her.

"She-She-She's wearing his _jacket!_" The other girls gawked as well. But they weren't gawking at the jacket...

"Oh! Look what's above us, Kairi." Riku knew that every year Sora and The-Evil-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named's mom put mistletoe on the doorway so any couples passing through there would have to kiss. That is where the white-haired teen's plot based on. He would get his fanclub to gather around him, then introduce them to his 'girlfriend' and just when they thought they were about to die, he would 'notice' the mistletoe and plant the kiss that would surely drive away his fangirls for good!

"Mistletoe!" Kairi mock-gasped, then placed a dreamy look on her face and turned to Riku. "Riku...do you know what this means?" His fanclub gasped.

"NOOOOOO!" they wailed, yelled and screamed. While they were screaming their bloody brains out, Riku made sure to take Matrix-time in kissing Kairi. After all, he _really_ didn't want a posse he mostly hated. He just couldn't stand the girls for the most part. Riku didn't like attention, and he absoultely hated it when the teachers called on him in class or he had to do a project with a partner or something. He could be called anti-social, but that wasn't true because he couldn't stand awkward silences. He was in between the two. In the Twilight.

Before the kiss got any deeper(Kairi suspected that it would have gone that way too) but a loyal and devoted fangirl tackled Kairi to the ground. "Don't you touch Riku-sama!" She yelled, about to hit Kairi when Riku picked the girl up by the collar of her jacket.

"Don't you touch her!" He repeated, practically throwing the misguided girl five feet out of the house. "You okay?" He asked and the auburn-haired spirit managed a shaky nod as she took his extended hand.

"I'm Sora! This is my twin, Roxas, and his girlfriend, Naminé, and there's Roxas' best friend, Axel and his twin, Reno who's rival is Hayner who's girlfriend is Olette who is friends with Pence who knows Axel, like I said, and Axel invited all of his friends!" Sora pointed out everyone at the party, and then he introduced her to Riku's fanclub who all put on fake smiles. Once the introductions were said and done, he and somebody who won't be named got out three cartons of eggnog.

"Time for the Eggnog contest! Okay, first off! We have to elect THREE people to go in the contest only because Mom forgot to buy more! Okay, people, let's VOTE!" Sora yelled.

-

The votes came back. Riku wasn't too pleased. He was supposed to be in the contest with Reno and that...thing...that can hardly be defined as a person. "You're going to lose, Albino, because I'm going to win." Blonde-Haired Evil said, all three taking their places on a table with three cartons for it.

"You're just jealous because all of the girls voted for either me or Reno." Riku stated. It was true. Half of the female student body loved Reno, and the other half loved Riku. All of the guys(and Naminé) voted for Roxas. (As to why that is, we won't get into that)

"I'm so going to kick your-" Blonde-Haired Evil(we shall now call him BHE) started, but Reno cut him off.

"Now, now, Roxas, don't turn into a sailor!" BHE was about to retort, but Sora rang a bell that made everyone shut up and stare at him. He had brought a stool and was standing on it, so that everyone clearly saw him.

"Okay guys, I think we all know the rules of the annual once-a-year who-can-chug-the-most-eggnog contest!" Sora shouted, everyone suppressing giggles. He must have forgot what annual meant..."Well, for those of you who are first-timers and are unfamiliar with the process, when I yell 'GO!' whoever chugs the whole carton of eggnog first wins! Not only that, but there's another winner too! Yes, you hear me! ANOTHER winner! The person who drinks it the fastest and the person who got the least spilled on them win! BUT, if you take longer than three minutes you're DISQUALIFIED! No pressure, though, contestants, no pressure." He assured his brother, his brother's best friend's twin, and his best friend. "Now, this year's prize is..." Sora jumped off the stool, and was about to land on his face when heflipped into a roll, then got up, and ran toward the back of the room which had a long red curtain. He pulled on it and impersonated Vana White, putting on a cheesy grin and managing a "TA-DA!"

"..." Everyone(especially the girls) were waiting for their favorite bishounens to just chug down eggnog. None of them really cared about the prizes...but Reno had won last year, and he had given his prize to one of his fangirls(only to chagrin Axel because Axel wanted the toy chakram) so they were all hoping their idol would give them one this year.

"Well, I don't know what this thing is, but my mom bought it for Roxas and I before we were born because she thought we were going to be girls! It's a really flowery giant-key thing!" Sora held up the keyblade that had flowers on it and it looked like it had come from a tropical island All the girls were just staring at the oversized-key with eyes that imitated saucers, including Kairi. It was definitely for a girl because of all the pink, yellow, and blue-tones in it.

"Wow...that's so pretty!" The indigo-eyed girl commented, and the other girls were too stupefied to say anything. They just nodded in agreement.

"That's the prize for the one who doesn't get the most eggnog spilled on them! Now, the prize for the one who drinks the eggnog the fastest gets this!" Sora then pulled back another red curtain and said in a very Announcer-on-the-Price-is-Right way, "That's right, folks! The prize this year is HUGE! IT's Axel's REAL chakram! Alot up for stake here!"

"HEY!" Axel yelled, storming up to Sora and poking him in the forehead, "That is MINE! Got it memorized? It's not for resale, especially since Reno has the chance of winning it! He'll never give it back to me! Roxas you better win this contest!" BHE shook his head.

"Are you kidding? I could be a multi-trillionaire if I sell that thing on keyBay! Sorry, Axel..." BHE said. Riku just wanted to yell to everyone, 'HA! YOU SEE?!? YOU SEE HOW EVIL HE CAN BE?!?' but decided against it.

"Well, Reno did win last year's contest...ANYWAY! Ready?" All three nodded, "SET!" Sora yelled, holding an open fist in the air above the stool he was previously sitting on. The three's hands tensed around their cartons. Riku told himself to be calm. He hoped _someone_ didn't slip poison into his eggnog, but he wouldn't be surprised if he got sent away to the hospital, "GO!!!!" The brunette screamed, smashing his fist on the stool as hard as he could and accidentally breaking it.

But now one cared about the poor tall chair, everyone's eyes were glued on the 'match'. BHE was practically dumping the container all over his clothes, Reno was going at a fast, but smooth pace, and Riku was just trying to ignore all of his fangirls' cries.

"Finished!" The redhead yelled, done in a minute flat. BHE finished after, but he got disqualified for 'cheating' because the marjority of the eggnog was all over his clothes, so Riku finished second in a two minutes(with taking a break).

"Done. I am _never_ looking at a dairy product again." The white-haired teen mumbled, holding his side like it was about to fall off. Sora blinked, then stood up on the rubble that used to be his stool and rang the bell again.

"Reno wins the fastest eggnog-chugger prize! Here's Axel's chakram!" Sora handed the chakram(over Axel's wails and pleads and cries) over to the un-spikey-haired version of Axel. "Riku wins the cleanest chugger prize!...If there is such a thing...Here you go, Riku! I don't know what you're going to use it for, but whatever!" Sora lugged the heavy over-sized key towards Riku and handed it to him. "OKAY EVERYONE, NOW LET'S GO OUTSIDE FOR A SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Axel smirked, running outside first with Reno(and his fangirls) on his heels. Everyone else followed suit, until no one was left but Kairi and Riku. He stared at his prize, which was actually quite light, again, and then glanced at Kairi.

"Here, Kairi, for you. Just in appreciation for all your hard work and for trying so hard to make me happy today. I appreciate it." He said, placing the smallest smile in the world on his face as he handed the flowery-keyblade to her. She gingerly took it and looked it over with a huge smile on her face.

"Thank you, Riku!" It disappeared, and she gave him a quick hug. "Now that you got _me_ a gift, I secretly got _you_ one while we were at that store, too! Now, close your eyes and hold out your hand." Riku obeyed.

"But...how? My last name begins with T, and we were only up to Q..." He started, but Kairi snapped her fingers and he shut up.

"I'm the Spirit of Christmas Present! I can do almost anything that will cheer someone up on this very day! Thank you, Riku, for all your cooperation. I thought you were emo or goth at first,(_'Well, thanks,'_ Riku thought dully)but now I realize that you're not like that! Here's my gift to you! Merry Christmas!" She said, placing something in his hand and closing it around the...handle of something? That's what it felt like. "Okay, open!"

"..." Riku was stunned. Shocked beyond words. His mouth fell open and it nearly touched the floor. "A...A...Way to the Dawn...I never knew anything like this ever existed!" That was what he could finally say after what seemed like hours of just gaping at the...masterpiece. It was a keyblade, like Kairi's, but it was designed in such a way that you would think the wielder would be on the line of light and dark, right on the Twilight. Instead of thanking her vocally, the Way to the Dawn disappeared when he wrapped his arms around her.

"!!" Kairi blinked._ 'Yes! MAJOR SCORE!Okay, Kairi, now just CALMLY and SLOWLY place your arms around him. DON'T go too fast or else he'll think you're obsessed!' _She mentally coached herself, going at the perfect tortoise-pace. When they were finally in a complete hug, it seemed like neither wanted to let go of each other.

"Kairi, thanks." She smiled.

"Hehe, your welcome." Then, they both heard the door open and they jumped away from each other; Riku not wanting a fangirl to kill the already-dead Christmas spirit, and Kairi not wanting to face the wrath of an enraged fangirl.

"Wow...you guys missed out on a snowball fight of a lifetime!" Sora shouted, the tips of his hair blackened. BHE looked like he had been burnt to a crisp and Reno had charcoal all over him and his silky red hair now mimicked Axel's(complete with black-tipped spikes courtesy of oour favorite pyrokinetic) because it was so messy.

"You know what? I don't even want to know WHY all of you look like you've just jumped into a burning building."

-

"That was one sweet party, Sora! See you later!" Yes, it was that time again. The time to leave Sora and BHE's Christmas blasts again.

"Bye, guys! See you in a couple of weeks!" Sora waved everyone out. Riku and Kairi started to walk to his home.

"So, feeling cheery yet?" She asked. The white-haired boy shrugged.

"A little, I guess. I feel alot better than last Christmas. I can't believe how late it is. Sora's parties last until mi-" He started, but then saw Kairi panic and stopped. "What? What is it?"

"Oh no! Oh no! How late is it, Riku?!?" She panicked, holding out her hand and looking worried. Riku could see right trough her hand.

"Are you...fading?" He inquired, but then told her the time, "11:55..."

"I'm dying! Oh no, oh no...Riku, you have to make your wish FAST! I'll be dead in just five minutes! I can't believe it...I'm scared to die again..." She wailed, then shook her head and put on a fake smile that didn't suit her. "Regardless of my position, I promised you I'd bestow one wish upon you. So, hurry up and make it before you lose this opportunity!"

"It can be...anything?" He asked. Riku wondered what he should wish for. For his parents to come back to life? To be a mega-millionaire? For some reason, Riku just couldn't see his parents coming back to life as an option. Being a mega-millionaire would be nice, but he didn't want all that munny.

"Anything you want! You just need to-" She started, and then he smiled and looked at her.

"Okay. I know what I want. I wish that _your_ greatest desire would be fulfilled." That seemed fitting. After all, she had given him this opportunity to really open his eyes, and Riku just wanted to thank her for that. He didn't want fame or fortune, he just wanted to be happy. And Kairi had given him that so there was nothing left to wish for.

"My...greatest desire?" She blinked, and then smiled. "Okay! If you wish it, so shall it be!" Riku covered his eyes from the blinding flash of light that occurred. She was standing in front of him and her hands didn't look faded any long.

"What did you do?" He asked, not noticing any difference in her. She smiled weakly and took his hands.

"My deepest desire...is to get a second chance at love!"

-

_'Woah. That was one hell of a freaky dream.'_ Riku thought, rising and smashing the 'Snooze' button on his alarm clock. He heard a yawn beside him and looked to see where the noise was coming from. _'That's not what I think it is...'_ No, it was. He saw a head of red hair. It was what he thought it was.

"HOLY SHI-"

* * *

Hehehe, I always wanted to end a story that way! Now, send your reviews and make me happy! 

Buon Natale!


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